Big city, big needs

I had the really cool opportunity the other night to dine at the top of Thailand's tallest building. The Malones have been volunteering in a slum ministry with some Thai Christians. The Thais wanted to show their gratitude by taking them to the Baiyoke Sky Tower for dinner. (I got to tag along!)

84 floors up in the air we walked around the building and took in the immensity of greater Bangkok. There are 10 million people living in the city. 1 million of them live in slums. 2 million of them make their living from the sex industry, and almost 99% of them do not have a saving relationship with the Lord.

The needs here are too big for me to handle, but that reminds me to rest in the sovereignty of God. He will accomplish his perfect and glorious purpose for this place. I only have to be faithful in doing my part were He places me.

I thank God that He has confirmed in my heart that this is the place where He wants me to serve, and I thank Him for the encouragement and support that He has brought to me through each of you. Please continue to pray for me and especially for the Thai people.

I will be in transit back to the states tomorrow night (which is Sunday afternoon for you). I ask your prayers for safe travel home. Thank you!

Contrasts...misery...hope

I have seen a bit more of the city now, and I am beginning to understand that Bangkok is a city of sharp contrasts. There are hotels and shopping areas that rival anything 5th avenue and Beverly Hills has to offer. Then, just around the corner you might find a dilapidated slum comunity. There is tremendous wealth here and also tremendous poverty.

I have been able to visit a few different slum communities now. They are smelly, cramped, and generally unpleasant. Drug use and prostituion are major problems. There are small children who have been abandoned by their parents and left in the care of infirm relatives. One old woman said that she had to take in her grandaughter because her parents "threw her away."

Although they are mired in physical and spiritual darkness, God has not forgotten these people. There are small rays of hope and truth piercing into these areas. We met a blind man named Char-lee that is living in one of the slums. It has about 10,000 people, and he is the only Christian. He lost his sight in a fight as a teenager. Since then, he came to Christ, and the people of his slum say the change in him has been incredible. He teaches about Jesus to the orphaned children and any who will listen.

When he needs to go somewhere, the children gather around him and serve as his eyes. He loves the Lord, and he desires for all of his people to know Jesus like he does.

I hope you will be as blessed as I was by seeing this man's smiling face. My prayer for myself and all of us is that we might know a fraction of the joy that Char-lee has in in his relationship with God.

Things I saw this morning...

Good morning from the other side of the world! Thanks all for your prayers while I was traveling. Everything went great, and I am safe and sound here in the Malone's home in Bangkok.

I wanted to briefly share what it's like to step outside and grab a coffee in the city. The first thing I noticed before even leaving the apartment parking lot was a large Buddha shrine. Many of the people on their way to work and school were stopping to place an offering on the shrine and say a prayer. You can see some coconut juice and bananas in the foreground.

I had not walked much further when I saw a pair of monks doing their morning rounds. The monks are supposed to live off of the food offerings they collect from the people each morning. The people kneeling in the picture had just given some food items to the monks. Giving food to monks is one of the ways that Buddhists believe they can gain merit. If they can earn enough merit (good works) they escape the cycle of reincarnation and slip into eternal nothingness (nirvana). Pray that these people will one day know the grace of our Lord Jesus which is given freely and impossible to earn.

The last thing I noticed before completing my 60 second walk to the coffee stand was a group of laborers waking from their sleep at a construction site. Phil tells me they are mostly Burmese illegal aliens. The construction companies pay them next to nothing, and that is about all they have from the looks of it. It is expected that the number of Burmese illegals will jump tremendously following the cyclone. Pray that the church here will sieze on this opportunity to reach out to the Burmese people with love and truth.

I did finally get my coffee, and it was delicious.

Graduation Day!

Today, I walked the stage at Dallas Seminary graduation and accepted my diploma. God is good! This would not have been possible without the love, encouragement and prayer of my friends and family. Thank you all for the different ways you have impacted me and entered into my life.

This weekend was a celebratory time, but it was also about facing the weight of responsibility that comes with having been given such a wonderful endowment of truth. I have been eagerly looking forward to moving overseas and sharing the wonderful news of Jesus. To that end, I am leaving in just a few hours for my survey trip to Bangkok. (see earlier post if that is news) Please be in prayer as I am traveling for almost 24 hours straight and pray for the Spirit's clear leading as I seek his direction for the future while in Thailand.

For those of you in Dallas who I did not see before leaving. It has really been a privilege to serve with you, learn with you, worship with you, and just have fun. Please keep me in the loop on what God is doing in your lives!

Tennessee, I'll be there in two weeks.

(Check back in the next few days. I hope to make some postings while in Bangkok.)